By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
The Federal Government has approved the release of N32 billion to primary healthcare (PHC) facilities nationwide through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the approval following a Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting convened to evaluate progress in the health sector.
Speaking after the meeting, Minister Pate stated that the review focused on key PHC indicators, including service utilisation, mortality rates, and immunisation coverage. He confirmed that funds disbursed under the programme have already begun reaching health facilities.
The initiative is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader health sector renewal agenda, which aims to strengthen service delivery across the country. Minister Pate revealed that plans are underway to expand the scope of direct facility funding, with an additional 5,000 health centres slated for inclusion.
He further noted that the committee approved an upward tariff adjustment for emergency ambulance services, a move designed to enhance responsiveness from both public and private providers.
In maternal health, the government’s policy of providing free treatment for obstetric emergencies continues to yield results, with over 40,000 women benefiting from the programme. Additionally, more than 4,000 women have received free care under the national fistula treatment initiative.
On disease control, Minister Pate disclosed that Nigeria recorded over 200 outbreak incidents over the past year, the majority of which were swiftly contained through surveillance and rapid intervention by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). He called on state governments to strengthen their response systems and prioritise the safety of health workers.
In a related development, the minister highlighted a landmark achievement in immunisation, with over 102 million children reached during the recent measles and rubella vaccination campaign—an effort he described as unprecedented.
Reinforcing the importance of fiscal responsibility, the Minister of State for Health, Iziaq Salako, emphasised that transparency and accountability must underpin the management of public health funds. He noted that civil society organisations have a crucial role to play in monitoring fund utilisation.
The Basic Health Care Provision Fund remains a cornerstone of the government’s strategy to expand access to essential health services and advance the goal of universal health coverage in Nigeria.
